


Goatees and Doppelgangers

by JeanjacketCarf



Series: Maybe we should talk about this [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Dance Dance Revolution - Freeform, Earth-2, F/M, Just some cuteness, Polyamory, also swing dancing, swinging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeanjacketCarf/pseuds/JeanjacketCarf
Summary: She reached out and tugged at the zippered side of his black bomber jacket.“Does no one on your earth know how to dress properly? My Barry wouldn’t be caught dead in public without his top button done. And no tie, either. Tsk, tsk.”So a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers weren’t the best choice in attire. Noted. Barry would think about that next time. If there was a next time.Barry and Iris decide to swap each other for a night on Earth 2.Their dates go very differently.





	Goatees and Doppelgangers

“My husband’s evil doppelganger. Nice to see you again,” Iris teased.

Barry smiled, damn near blushed as he ducked his head under her cool, dark stare.

The air around them buzzed in an unfamiliar pattern and unconsciously he knew his body was vibrating to match it and keep him here in this other world.

“Got me pinned, I guess.”

She reached out and tugged at the zippered side of his black bomber jacket.

“Does no one on your earth know how to dress properly? My Barry wouldn’t be caught dead in public without his top button done. And no tie, either. Tsk, tsk.”

So a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers weren’t the best choice in attire. Noted. Barry would think about that next time. If there was a next time. 

She kept her hand firmly on his jacket. He placed his hand above her’s as if to pull it back but he didn’t. Their fingers were inches apart. He imagined slipping them together in the way that had become so familiar. This game of treading close to the edge and never stepping over brought him back to those days when love was all about resisting falling together. It sent an electric tingle down his spine along with a heady wave of nostalgia. They were like two kids teasing each other when they already knew each other’s bodies like no one else. 

“Yeah, we’re more casual where I’m from.”

“Instead of wearing all black and having goatees,” she reached forward and tapped a finger against his chin. The finger lingered. Barry tried to smile but ended up licking his lips in the process. He felt more than saw the action draw her attention. Her own lips painted a deep red, smiled broadly. “Come to think of it. You’d look good with one. A goatee, I mean.”

Their eyes met. Sometimes he imagined he could fall forever into her eyes. 

Her hand fisted in the fabric of her jacket and brought him stumbling closer. With a grip on his chin, she pulled him down to meet her.

They kissed long and slow on the porch of the house that on his earth still belonged to Joe. This was where he and his Iris shared one of their first kisses. Another first it seemed.

“So you have that episode of Star Trek here too?” He asked when they finally broke apart for air. She slapped his arm. He pretended it hurt. It didn’t stop them from kissing again or all night. 

………………………...

“This isn’t weird, right? This isn’t weird,” Barry muttered. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of the overcoat that covered his brown suit. He kept slouching and looking at his feet so he had to keep pushing up his glasses when they slid down his nose. In the last half hour, he’d done it at least ten times. 

“It’s sort of weird,” Iris admitted.

“Oh good!” He practically leaped with excitement. “You think so too. Because I think it’s definitely strange. You’re her but you aren’t but you kind of are and I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Iris laughed.

“I know what you mean. You’re really different from my Barry but you still do that weird head bobble thing.”

He looked at her suspiciously.

“What weird head bobble thing?”

“This.” She demonstrated the classic Barry-side-to-side-bobble-head move.

He stared.

“I do that?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t do that.” He scrunched up his face and shook his head.

“There! You just did it!” 

“No! That was on purpose. I was shaking my head.”

Iris rolled her eyes and stepped closer to bump her shoulder against him.

“My Barry says the same thing. It’s a lie.”

They came to a stop at a crosswalk waiting for the signal. Their walk had taken them downtown in Earth 2’s Central City. Iris craned her head to see the war memorial that stood larger than life in the center of a traffic circle, the monorail behind it, and airships lazily cruising through the sky. The golden art deco buildings around them were lit up in neon. 

She caught Barry watching her out of the corner of his eye. He looked so soft and fond she wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and hide him from the horrors of the world. He reminded her a lot of the time her Barry had spent as Bart. Like that Barry, this Barry was without all the baggage that held her Barry down. He also lacked her Barry’s hard-won confidence and power. He was a gentler, more human Barry. 

Don’t get her wrong, she adored her Barry. She liked him when he bristled with lightning and strength. She admired his courage and heroism more than words could describe. She loved how he could scoop her up and ferry her anywhere in the world. He’d been her hero long before he took up the mantle of the Flash. But that didn’t mean she could appreciate a different flavor of Barry.

“What are you looking at me for?” He chuckled in a cute grumble.

“Nothing,” she tried for nonchalant but couldn’t stop it from being a little sing-songy. A pool of warm butterflies was buzzing around her stomach.

He stared across the street for a moment then his face lit up like Christmas morning. 

“Do you like DDR?”

“As in Dance Dance Revolution?” Iris asked incredulously. 

“Yeah, there’s an arcade right up there,” he pointed to a building covered in blue and pink neon lights. “They have tons of games but DDR is my favorite.”

“Um, okay.” She was still a little surprised.

“Great!” He grabbed her hand and sprinted across the street, dragging her behind him.

Iris was pleased to discover the arcade served drinks and ordered a Stalingrad Mule to sip as they made their way through the crowd of fancy dressed 40s people. The arcade was surprisingly popular but Barry put his quarter down for the next game of DDR and stood beside it bobbing his head to the music.

“So are you good at this?”

“I’m okay.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Iris always beats me though.”

It turned out he was a lot better than just okay. It was also super difficult to play Dance Dance Revolution to swing music. He soundly defeated her and set a new record on the machine for good measure. 

“I feel liked I got conned,” Iris stepped off the board with a hand to her chest in mock horror.

Barry blushed and looked away.

“Well, I didn’t know you were that bad.”

She slapped him on the arm and he grinned crookedly at her.

Iris was secretly pleased because it was another piece of evidence that her Barry wasn’t the terrible dancer he claimed to be. As if he hadn’t effortless jumped into her ballet routine when they were eight. As if she hadn’t caught him practicing tap moves in his room all the time in high school. He could sing too, Caitlin and Kara had confirmed it, though she’d heard him sing in the shower plenty of times. The boy was a musical genius and he refused to admit it. 

They each had another drink and walked back to the West-Allen house giggling because as soon as they stepped outside Barry had come down with a serious case of the hiccups. He ended up stumbling down the sidewalks stumbling like a drunk and making chirping sounds like a baby bird. Iris’ laughter reached hysterical levels somewhere along the way when a young mother had sent them a serious side eye. By the time, they made it to the house she was half drunk on it.  
They found her Barry and his Iris sitting arm in arm on the front steps. So that’s what they looked like together. Iris liked the picture.

Her Barry waved in greeting and smiled. He looked at ease like a resting lion. The other Iris fit will against him though her eyes sought out her own husband with a fierce protectiveness.

A tug on her hand drew her away from the spell of watching herself but not herself. The other Barry smiled gently and gave a magnanimous bow.

“Madam, it has been a wonderful evening,” he said with a faux posh air.

“Thank you for taking me out.”

“Any day.”

They looked at each other for a long moment, each of them knowing what they wanted to do but wanting the other to make the first move. Finally, Iris rolled her eyes and stood on her tiptoes to peck him on the lips. The other Iris gave a wolf whistle.

Her Barry rose to his feet, brushing invisible dust off his pants.

“Okay, let’s get out of here before your neighbors notice and start asking questions.”

He came over and pulled his Iris close. She leaned into his Speed warmth.

The other Barry and Iris struck the same pose, looking back at them like an imperfect mirror.

Barry snapped a quick salute.

“Until next time.” Then, Iris lost her breath because they were running and the space between worlds surrounded them and suddenly, they were home. Life with the Flash would never not be trippy. 

Later, in bed, Barry whispered in her ear.

“Did you have fun today?” His warm hand rubbed up and down her bare back.

“Yeah, actually I did.”

He pulled her closer and she rested her head against the flat plane of his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyways, this series is about Barry and Iris being married but also dating and hooking up with the weirdest people. So if you have any recommendations for rarepairs or OT3s you'd like to see hit me up.  
> I can also be found @jeanjacket-carf on tumblr  
> Thanks for reading.  
> If you liked it please leave a kudos or a comment because I crave validation.


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